More Than a Pet
by Ritsu Arasashi
Summary: Naruto and his best friend Sasuke work in the pet business. Then, Sasuke buys Naruto a pet that will take a lot of work. The question remains, will the red head remain as he was, or, to Naruto will he become more than a pet?
1. Bonus

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Okay, so I've read "My Pet" by obsessive-fanfic-reader, and it was awesome, and I kind of got this idea from that, but I saw that Luckout22 said she adored GaaNaru/NaruGaa fics in which they were master and slave but couldn't find any. So, here's one. Hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

Naruto was walking in the park when he saw a small figure curled un on a nearby bench with their head resting on their knees. What caught his attention, however, was the mop of red hair. It wasn't a bright, in-your-face kind of red. More subdued. Kind of like blood. He wanted to know what was wrong, why they were sitting there like that. He didn't know whether they were a boy or a girl, so he settled for, "Hey, you, what's wrong?"

The head shot up and aqua eyes locked with his.

Naruto saw a range of conflicting emotions pass through those eyes, before a voice shattered it, locking the emotions away.

"Oi, Gaara! What the hell do you think you're doing?" A blond girl with green eyes walked up, her hands firmly on her hips. "We're supposed to stay together, or did you forget that?"

The red head shook slowly before another voice joined the girl's.

"Fucker, did you forget what Dad said he'd do if ya tried to run off again, ya little bastard?" A brunette walked up with his arms crossed over his chest.

The blond's glare shifted to Naruto. "Who the hell are you?"

"Naruto," Naruto replied. "Naruto Uzumaki, and who're you?"

"Temari."

"Kankuro."

"You already know our brother, so why don't you get the fuck out of our business?"

**000**

"I tell you, she was a bitch!" Naruto said.

"Hn," Sasuke replied. "Sounds like the Sabakus to me."

"Sabakus?" Naruto said.

"Yes, dobe, the Sabakus. Don't you remember the Sabaku Pet Corporation?"

"Mm, yeah, now that you mention it..."

"Remember that boy? The one with the dog fetish?"

Naruto nodded. He remembered Kiba Inuzuka. Who could forget someone who had such an obsession with canines?

"Yeah, he bought a pet from the Sabakus once. Think it was the middle boy, if memory serves..."

**000**

_10 years later (Or present time, depending on how you look at it.)_

Naruto was lounging on his couch, in nothing but a pair of boxers, watching _Everybody Loves Raymond_ and eating a bag of chips. He was _supposed _to be listening to Sasuke, but his self-proclaimed-bi friend was going on about his pet, Neji, and Naruto really just wanted to the duck-ass-haired boy to shut up.

"Oh, and after the appointment I need you to handle today, we're getting you a pet," Naruto heard Sasuke say over the phone line.

"WHAT?" Naruto sprayed chips over his lap and the floor as he yelled.

"I didn't stutter. It's time you had a pet, so I'm buying you one. No complaining."

"I'm still getting paid, right?" Naruto grumbled. "I mean, the pet doesn't count as my paycheck, does it?"

"Of course you're still getting your paycheck, dobe," Sasuke countered. "What do you take me for? The pet will be more of a..._bonus_, if you catch my drift."

"Teme," Naruto growled before slamming the phone down on the reciever. He knew _exactly _what that duck-ass-haired teme meant by "bonus".


	2. Appointment

Naruto sighed and stomped to his bathroom, snatching up a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as he went. He stepped into the shower and let the hot water soak into his tense muscles. Maybe, he reasoned, a pet wouldn't be so bad after all. He would get a girl, that much was for certain. He was straight, unlike a certain duck-ass-haired teme he knew. That boy came out of the closet when they were sixteen! But a girl would be nice to have around. She could cook and clean and he'd lay around all day in his boxers. Then, at night, they'd lock the doors and she'd scream his name. Yeah, that'd be the life.

Naruto shook his head, clearing it of his fantasy, and jumped out of the shower, drying off and dressing quickly. He glanced at the clock and almost wished he hadn't. Dammit! It was almost three o'clock. He took off out the door, muttering curses as he went.

Naruto groaned as he leaned back against the wall behind the counter. Where the hell-

The bell on the door jingled, signaling to the bored, frustrated blond that his customer had arrived.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Akasuna," Naruto said as he searched for the order. He couldn't find it. Dammit! Sasuke would strangle him if he found out he'd lost a customer's order.

"Please," the red head purred. "Call me Sasori."

"R-right." It wasn't exactly with code to refer to customers with such familiarity. Oh well. Naruto shrugged mentally. It _was _his job to please the customer, however, and if it pleased the red head to be called by his first name, how could Naruto protest? "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I've misplaced your order," Naruto said. "Could you possibly refresh my memory?"

"Why, of course, cute thing," Sasori replied, leaning forward onto the counter. "I'd like an effeminate blond male, mid-late teens and blue eyes, if it's not too much trouble."

Naruto turned to their listing and said as he ran his finger down the list, "So, you want a blond girl, mid-late teens-"

"No, no, no, sweet thing," Sasori chuckled. "I said I want an effeminate blond _male_."

Naruto froze and swallowed hard. "So, wait. You want a boy that looks like a girl?"

"That's what I said, cutie."

Naruto shuddered.

"Something wrong?" Sasori said, his chocolate eyes sparkling with concern.

"Wha? Oh, no, it's nothing," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. "Just, you know when you get a sudden chill and they say a goose walked over your grave?"

Sasori nodded. "Ah, yes. I get those all the time."

Naruto frowned but shook his head. He had enough to worry about; he wasn't about to make small talk with the red head, not when he was going to be dragged around by Sasuke the rest of the afternoon. He turned back to the list and ran his finger down the names. "Well, we have one. Name's Deidara. Would you like to meet him?"

"Of course," Sasori replied.

Naruto nodded and, grabbing the key ring, mentally thanked God that the red head seemed to have stopped the pet names. he led the way back to the viewing rooms. When he got to the right cage, he tapped on the bars. "Hey, Deidara, we got a potential master for you. Come meet him."

"Yeah, un," a quiet voice replied as the blond stepped closer to the bars.

Naruto unlocked the door and opened it, stepping out of the way so that the red head could inspect his potential pet. He had to bite back a smirk when he realized that the red head was shorter than the blond; he had a smaller frame, too. Pets were supposed to be smaller than their masters. Of course, Kisame was a good foot or two taller than Itachi.

"I'll take him," Sasori said.

"Right," Naruto said as he moved towards the check out to complete the purchase. Thank God. Now he just had to deal with Duck-Ass-Hair-Boy and he'd be able to go home and relax. He really needed a different job.

"I think your friend knows this, but you have a thing for red heads," Sasori murmured.

Naruto jumped and shut the cash register. "What're you talking about?" Naruto said as he handed the man his change.

"I think you know," Sasori said as he put the money away. He leaned over the counter and whispered, "Gaara-chan's on the move," before taking the chain that was around Deidara's neck in his hand and leaving; the bell jingled as the door shut behind him.


	3. Purchase

Naruto frowned. What the _hell_ was that red head talking about? His thoughts were interrupted by his cellphone.

The "Rubber Ducky" song began playing.

Naruto chuckled a bit and then pulled out his cell and flipped it open. "Yell-"

"Dammit, dobe! Get your fuckin' ass out here. We're already late!" Sasuke yelled through the phone.

Naruto cringed, jerking the phone away from his ear before slamming it shut and shoving it his pocket and storming out the door, locking it behind him. He ran to Sasuke's car, jumped in and slammed the door.

Sasuke put the car in reverse and shot out into the street. "Don't slam my fuckin' door."

"Don't scream my fuckin' ear off!" Naruto countered. "What the hell are you trying to do? Make me deaf?"

"I told you we had a damn appointment."

"Teme! You're the one that dumped that order on me. Don't give me shit about it now."

"Oh, shut the fuck up, dobe."

Naruto folded his arms over his chest, grumbling. "Stupid Duck-Ass," he mumbled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and went back to driving.

"Hey, Sasuke?" Naruto said after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, dobe?"

"That Akasuna, why does he seem familiar?"

"Because he's related to the Sabakus. He's the grandson of Chiyo and the cousin of the three siblings," Sasuke explained.

"Then why doesn't he buy a pet from them?" Naruto asked.

"Shit, why should I know, dobe? Why does it matter?"

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno. He was pretty weird, though."

"No shit, Sherlock," Sasuke scoffed. "The whole family's crazy."

"Yeah, I s'pose you're right," Naruto replied. "But he said something that freaked me out."

"Hn. You freak easily, dobe."

"I do not!"

"Whatever." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What did he say?"

"He said I had a thing for red heads."

"Like that isn't obvious."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Naruto spat.

"My last girlfriend was a red head," Sasuke replied. "You're the reason she broke up with me."

"How am I-"

"You stared at her for three hours straight _and_ left a puddle of drool on the floor that was so bad that I had to replace the carpet."

Naruto frowned and glared out the window. "That's not all he said."

"Hn."

"He said 'Gaara-chan's on the move'."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"How the fuck should I know?" Naruto yelled.

"Dobe."

"Yeah?"

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

Naruto scowled.

Twenty minutes later, they reached the Sabaku Pet Corporation.

A blond greeted them at the door. "Good afternoon, I'm Yashamaru and who might you two masters be?"

"Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki," Sasuke replied, pointing first at himself and then at Naruto. "We're here for a pet for him."

"Ah, I see. Young Master Uchiha. Wonderful. What's your preference?"

"Red head," Sasuke replied with a smirk.

"Male or female?" Yashamaru continued.

"Girl," Naruto said quickly.

Yashamaru's face seemed to fall slightly. "Well, we _do_ have _one _girl...Her name's Karin Oto."

"No!" Naruto cried, clinging to Sasuke. "She'll murder me!"

Karin Oto was Sasuke Uchiha's last girlfriend, before he'd said fuck dating and bought his pet Neji.

"You're right," Sasuke said, shaking Naruto off. "Let go of me, dobe. I suppose we'll go with males, then."

"Right this way," Yashamaru said smoothly as he led the way to the viewing rooms. "All right so..."

From those words on, he lost Naruto's attention who then proceeded to look around on his own. Hearing a chain jingle, he looked towards the sound and instantly saw a mop of familiar red hair. "...Gaara?"

The red head shot up, the aqua eyes staring widely in shock; they locked with Naruto's and the connection was immediate. "N-naru...to?"

"Oh, you don't want him," Yashamaru said knowingly.

"Why?" Naruto asked, moving a little closer to the red head.

"He talks to himself and blames it on the tanuki in his head."

"Let me see him," Naruto said.

"I told you, you don't-"

"He said let him see him, now open the damn cage," Sasuke said quietly.

Grumbling to himself, Yashamaru reached around Naruto and unlocked the cage. When he reached inside to jerk Gaara out, however, the red head chomped down on his hand and then fled to the back of the cage.

"Little fucker!" Yashamaru snarled, stepping away from the cage as he inspected his hand.

"Move," Naruto said, shoving the older blond out of the way. He knelt down in front of the cage and started searching his pockets. "I know I have some candy here somewhere."

"He doesn't like sweets," Yashamaru pointed out.

"Shut up," Naruto growled. He searched for a few more seconds and found a piece. "Here you go. You want this?" he said, unwrapping it and holding it out to the red head.

Aqua eyes glimmered in the shadows for a moment, almost as if their owner were debating whether or not to trust the offer.

"It's all right," Naruto said gently. "I won't hurt you."

"I told you, he doesn't-"

"Shut up," Sasuke said this time.

Gaara edged toward Naruto and then took the candy, but stayed just out of reach. He put the candy in his mouth and sucked on it thoughtfully.

Sasuke came and crouched down beside Naruto. "This the one you want?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied, before slowly reaching out and touching the pale cheek gently.

The kohl-rimmed aqua eyes widened slightly at the contact, but the red head didn't flinch away.

"All right." Sasuke turned to look at Yashamaru. "Get us his file. We're buying him."


	4. Home

As Yashamaru left the room for the red head's file, Sasuke turned back to Naruto. "Can you get him to stand up?"

"Yeah," Naruto said. He held out his hand to Gaara.

Gaara took it hesitantly and allowed Naruto to pull him to his feet.

Sasuke looked him over and nodded. The blond had good taste in pets, although the red head was a tad bit underweight. Self-starvation, perhaps?

Yashamaru came in and shoved the file into Sasuke's hands.

Sasuke flipped through it, his frown deepening with each page.

"You _sure _you still want him?" Yashamaru sneered.

"Of course I still want him, you bastard," Naruto growled. "I've said it, and I never go back on my word."

Yashamara began grumbling and Sasuke said, "Let's complete the purchase. Naruto?"

"Yeah, Sasuke?"

"I'll meet you in the car." Then he disappeared behind Yashamaru.

Gaara was in shock, to say the least, as Naruto led him to Sasuke's car. No one had ever wanted him since...that day.

Naruto fastened Gaara in, seeing how the red head seemed to be in shock, and buckled himself in. Within a few minutes, Sasuke came out to the car.

Grumbling to himself, Sasuke slammed the door of his car shut and flung the file onto the dash.

"Thought doors weren't supposed to be slammed," Naruto taunted.

"Shut the fuck up," Sasuke spat as he pulled out of the parking lot and drove off. They rode in silence for a few minutes before Sasuke spoke again. "Dobe, do you even know what the hell you're getting yourself into?"

"Maybe not," Naruto replied with a backward glance at Gaara.

The red head seemed to still be in shock, staring out the window as he was.

"But, his eyes...I just couldn't leave him there. Not with those eyes."

Sasuke spared a glance to Naruto. He knew what the blond was going on about. Naruto couldn't live with himself if he left someone alone. It would be best to leave Naruto alone about that. So, he changed tact. "You know, because he's never had a master before you, you're going to have to find out his kinks."

"I _know that_," Naruto growled. "You drilled that into me when we were little. You wouldn't let me work at the shop if I didn't, now would you?"

"You're right. I wouldn't."

A few minutes later, Sasuke pulled into Naruto's driveway. "Call me if you need anything, all right?"

"Right," Naruto said. As an afterthought, he said, "Thanks."

"No problem."

Naruto got out and opened Gaara's door. "Come on," he said gently.

Gaara climbed out of the car and followed Naruto inside the house.

"Welcome home, Gaara," Naruto said with a sweeping gesture around the room.

"...Home?" Gaara said quietly after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Home. Now, let's get you something to wear. Come on."

The red head followed him to the bedroom.

Naruto rifled through his drawers. Gaara was so small and girly. Wait... He pulled out a pair of jeans Sakura-chan had left one time. That would have to work for the time being. Grabbing a t-shirt, he threw both on the bed and ushered the red head over.

Gaara stepped up beside Naruto.

"Now," Naruto said. "Let's get this chain off, hmm?" He unhooked the chain and flung it into the closet. "Better?"

"Y-yeah..." Gaara said quietly. He stayed still as he let Naruto dress him. After all, it had been drilled in over the past decade. _"Please the master. Do what he wants, no matter what it is."_

Naruto finished dressing his red head and looked him over once. The jeans were a little big, Sakura-chan would throw a fit if she heard that. The shirt fell so cutely off of one shoulder, showing off Gaara's creamy, snow-white skin. "Come on," Naruto said, grabbing Gaara's wrist and gently pulling him to the living room. "Let's go watch TV."

"O-okay, Master."

_I'm gonna have to break him of that_, Naruto thought.

**000**

"Master?" Neji said from his crouched position on the floor, the typical position for pets.

"Yes, what is it?" Sasuke said, shifting his eyes from the TV to rest on his adorable pet.

"Master Naruto's going to have his work cut out for him, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is, pet," Sasuke replied. _And that's just if he keeps the relationship to master and pet. But you won't, will you, Naruto? You'll do everything in your power to right every wrong in that red head's life, and we both know it. It's just going to take time..._

* * *

**Grr. This one was really short. But I wanted to end it there, so meh. I had to have that line end it. Chapter 5 coming soon. Can anyone guess the title?**


	5. Time

_Time is a funny thing. Sometimes, it goes by really fast, and sometimes really slow. But sometimes, time just seems to stop and you don't notice it as much_, Naruto thought to himself as he scratched Gaara's head gently.

The red head kept the house spotless and was always done by the time Naruto came home, no matter what time it was. A girl would've been complaining, "You said you'd be home three hours ago." Gaara never complained, though.

Naruto would bring home take-out, and they'd either eat in the living room, on the counters in the kitchen, the dining room. Where ever they ate, Gaara cleaned up afterwards.

It took a few weeks to get Gaara to sit on the furniture instead of the floor like most pets. A few more weeks to get him so that Naruto didn't have to ask him to sit and by that time, Naruto was trying to get the red head to sit next to him. Now, after about a month, Gaara lay comfortably curled up, with his head resting in Naruto's lap, and Naruto gently scratching his head like a cat.

_Well_, Naruto thought, _at least I've almost broken him of that "master" nonsense._

"Naru..." the red head said groggily, shifting uncomfortably.

"What?" Naruto said, lifting his hand away.

"No, more," Gaara said, pushing back up into Naruto's hand like a cat.

"Oh, you like that, do you?" Naruto said as he resumed scratching.

"Mm-hm," Gaara mumbled, but he shifted again.

"Gaara, what's wrong?" Naruto asked.

Time is an unusual housemate, and apparently it was time for _this_.

Gaara pulled back to rest on his haunches with his arms resting between his legs. "I'm not sure, Naru," he replied with confused expression on his face.

Naruto frowned. "Well, does this feel good?" he asked, reaching forward to scratch Gaara's scalp.

Gaara leaned into it, his eyes closing briefly. "Y-yeah," he panted.

Wait...Panted?

"Gaara, when I say, 'Does it feel good?", I mean does it feel _good_?

A blank look. Great.

"Gaara, lay down on your back, with your head in my lap."

The red head complied.

Hello, light bulb.

"Gaara, do you know why that happened?" Naruto said gently, pointing to the small bulge in Gaara's pants.

"No. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Naruto corrected him gently. "Okay, random question. Have you ever masturbated before?"

Blank look.

Naruto sighed tiredly. "Do you even know what masturbation is?"

His question was met with another blank look.

Gaara sat back up and leaned back on his haunches, putting his hands between his feet. When he spoke, he kept his eyes focused on his hands. "We were never allowed to touch ourselves."

Typical. Of course the head of the Sabaku Pet Corporation would keep his youngest son in the dark about this subject. What had he been thinking? That it'd be a little easier? But what did wishful thinking ever get anyone? All right, they'd just have to go about this the hard way.

_Dear God, please don't let me scare him away_, Naruto prayed mentally. "Okay, so I guess the first thing that needs to be cleaned up is the mechanics of it."

One hairless eyebrow quirked up slightly.

"And of course, the different types."

"Different...types?"

"Yeah. Okay, how do I say this," Naruto replied as he shifted so that he could sit cross-legged and face Gaara. When Gaara copied him, Naruto went on. "Yeah, there are different types. First, there's sex. It's just when you become aroused to the point of which you need release." Here, he stopped, blinking. "Damn, you don't know what arousal is, do you?"

Gaara shook his head.

"'Kay, this." Naruto reached up and scratched Gaara's scalp, causing a small, needy whimper to escape the red head's normally near-silent lips.

"That's a turn-on for you, and it gets you aroused. That's your present problem right now." Naruto grinned. "Now, back to what I was saying. After just plain sex that can occur between any two people that turn each other on enough, regardless of if they love each other or not, there's fucking. Well, there's actually two different ways you could look at fucking. On one hand, you could consider it to be identical to just plain sex. On the other, Hinata, with all her insecurities and such, used to get so desperate to be reassured that someone cared for her, she'd beg me to fuck her. Don't get me wrong, I didn't love her per se, but I still cared about her. So, in a way, fucking is more for the person receiving. Lastly, there's making love. Making love, I believe, can only occur between two people who truly love one another."

Gaara nodded as he proccessed everything Naruto had just told him. "And where would we fall?" he said quietly, staring intently at the blond before him.

"I don't know yet, Gaara," Naruto replied honestly. "I care about you, and I guess I love you as a friend, but maybe there can be more between us. Just go take a cold shower, that'll fix your problem for now."

Gaara nodded and got up to do as Naruto asked.

Naruto sighed. He wasn't quite positive he'd explained things well enough, and his answer to the red head's question wasn't exactly the best in the world. _I just know one thing, if anything_, Naruto thought to himself. _I'm not going to take advantage of him. We'll learn together._


	6. Learn

Naruto swung his legs over to prop them on the coffee table and put his hands behind his head. He didn't want to get into that just yet; he didn't feel Gaara was ready and the red head's naivety earlier only served to re-confirm his belief. _But what if the cold shower __doesn't__ fix it_, a small voice in the back of his head whispered conspiratorially. _What will you do then?_ He didn't want to think about that, not right now at least.

Gaara came back into the room, hair dripping, in a clean t-shirt and shorts. The only problem that his hard-on was, if possible, more visible than before, and it seemed to be past uncomfortable and quickly approaching painfully unbearable, if the look on his face gave any credit. "Naru...it's becoming painful now," he said quietly.

Naruto mentally sighed. He _hated_ that little voice. "Come here," he said, patting the couch beside him.

Gaara sat down and looked at Naruto, almost as if he were silently pleading for Naruto to fix his problem

Naruto put his hands on Gaara's shoulders and gently pushed the red head back onto the couch, letting him rest his head against the arm of the couch, with a whispered, "Just trust me."

Gaara nodded and said, "Naruto, what are you about to do?"

Naruto unfastened Gaara's shorts and pulled them, as well as his boxers, down.

Gaara hissed quietly as the air hit him, but it changed to a strangled groan when Naruto wrapped a hand around his erection. "Naru-"

"Shh, just trust me," Naruto repeated as he began pumping.

Gaara was too close to the edge as it was and within a few minutes, he came into Naruto's hand. He tasted blood as he bit his lip to keep in the moan that came with his release.

Naruto wiped his hand on his pants and, with his free hand, reached over to wipe the blood from Gaara's lip. "When I said 'shh', I meant just focus on the moment, not your questions. I didn't mean for you to stay quiet when you came." He got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing a rag and wetting it. Coming back, he cleaned Gaara up. As he watched the red head fasten his pants once more, he said, "Feel better?"

Gaara looked up at him, almost as if he were studying the blond, analyzing him even. "That was simply _sex_, wasn't it?" he said finally.

Naruto sighed but didn't respond, instead picking the remote up and changing the channel.

"Naru-"

"Look it was either that or..." Naruto snapped.

"Or, what?" Gaara countered, falling back into his normal position of sitting on his haunches. "Naruto, I know you didn't have Master Uchiha buy me for you for a fuck toy, and yes, I know what that term is, I'm not a total idiot when it comes to this subject, but I need to know why you did."

The words came out softly, but they hit Naruto with such force that he stood up suddenly and went to the kitchen.

Gaara, curious, followed him.

Naruto ran his hands through his hair tiredly. He _really _had to learn to watch what he said and did because Gaara, apparently, watched him like a hawk. He sighed again and said, "Gaara, I convinced Sasuke to buy you, not for a fuck toy, no, but because of your eyes. I hated seeing that utter lonliness in them and I wanted to do whatever I could to make it better. Maybe I don't have those kind of feelings for you yet, but I'll never take advantage of you, I swear." He reached up and took Gaara's face in his hands. "We''ll learn together, all right?" he promised.

Gaara leaned forward, pulling away from Naruto's hands to lean against him, wrapping his arms around the blond's neck. Nuzzling against Naruto's neck, he whispered, "Yeah, Naru-chan, we'll learn together."

"Good." Naruto smiled and wrapped his arms around Gaara in return.

Twenty minutes later found them both asleep on the couch. Naruto's phone rang, causing them both to jump.

"What the hell," Naruto muttered, glaring at his phone. He picked it up. "Who's calling at th- aw, fuck." He flipped it open. "What the hell do you want, teme?"

"That's no way to talk to your boss," Sasuke countered on the other end of the line. "But I'll tell you what I want. You remember Akasuna?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He wants a house call tomorrow and he requested you personally."

"Wait," Naruto said, frowning. "I thought we only did- oh, that's right."

"Yeah, dobe. He's related to the Sabakus. Now are you gonna do it?"

"Sure, why not?" Much as he disliked the eccentric (for lack of a better word because no word in Naruto's vocabulary could really describe him) red head, house calls meant the rest of the day he was free to do what he pleased.

"All right, you're to be there at eleven tomorrow, got that?"

"Yeah, teme, I got that," Naruto said and snapped the phone shut. "Come on, Gaa-chan, let's go to bed." Even with the red head's body pressed against him as they drifted off to sleep, Naruto knew tomorrow wasn't going to go well.


	7. Hell

Naruto yawned as the sun woke him the next morning. He felt something push against his chest and looked down to see Gaara snuggling against his chest to get away from the light. "Morining Gaa-chan."

Gaara sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Morning," he mumbled quietly, his voice thick with sleep. "You" yawn "gotta go to the shop today?"

"Nope," Naruto replied, reaching out and pushing some of the hair out of the red head's face. "I've got a house call today."

"Oh, I'll go fix breakfast then."

Naruto nodded and got up to get dressed as Gaara went downstairs to fix breakfast. He came down and went into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he poured himself and Gaara some orange juice. Setting the glasses down on the counter, he wrapped his arms around Gaara's waist from behind. "You gonna be all right alone today?" he asked.

Gaara let a small, almost imperceptible sigh escape his lips at the thought that someone _actually _cared about him. "Of course I will, Naruto. You have had to work before. Why would today be any different?"

"Well, I was only wonderin'," Naruto muttered. He turned away and glanced toward the clock. "Shit! I gotta go. Later!" and with that, he shot out the door.

Gaara sighed again. _Do you really think anyone cares about you?_ a snide little voice asked in the back of his mind. _After all, the one who said he'd do anything for you left you. _"Shut up!" Gaara said, rubbing his temples. _Damn, why do I even try though?_ he thought as he cleaned up the uneaten breakfast and started cleaning the house. _It's never worth it._

Naruto stopped by the shop and picked up a map from Sasuke. As he drove to the Akasuna's house, the small voice in the back of his mind sneered, _What the hell do you think you're doing? _Naruto frowned. _What? Obviously, Gaara was still hurting about something,_ the voice snapped. _Sasori wouldn't have minded you being late. Sasuke would've. _"Dammit!" Naruto yelled to no one. He really wanted to murder that voice. He pulled into Sasori's driveway and got out. He went up the walk and knocked on the door.

Deidara answered the door. He turned his head towards his shoulder and said, "Danna, he's here!"

"Well, let him in, then."

"Come on." Deidara ushered him into the living room and sat down, motioning for Naruto to do the same.

He did. "Um, Mr. Akasuna?"

"I've told you before, Naruto-kun," Sasori said as he finished painting his nails and put the polish -which Naruto noticed was a sort of green- away. "Call me Sasori."

"R-right," Naruto said. "Anyway, Sasuke said you requested me personally for this house call, why?"

"You purchased Gaara-chan, did you not?" Sasori said.

"Well, yeah," Naruto said. "But what does that have to do with-"

"Did you read his file?"

"Well, no, I..."

Sasori raised one eyebrow in curiosity. "Why not?"

"Well, I-I wanted him to tell me when he was ready to trust me," Naruto explained.

"I see," Sasori replied, nodding. "Dei, get us some drinks."

"Yes, Danna, un," Deidara said before going to the kitchen.

"Now," Sasori said. "I'm going to say this bluntly, Naruto-kun. Gaara-chan's life was hell."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto said.

"There are probably things that happened to him that were kept out of his file," Sasori explained.

"Kept out?" Naruto said indignantly. "But they're not-"

"Calm down, will you?" Sasori said. "I never claimed Yondaime did things by the book."

"Yeah, but-"

"But, nothing," Sasori continued. "Yondaime is a bastard and hypocrite, and this is coming from the mouth of his nephew."

"So, what?" Naruto said. "Did you just get me here so that you could rant about the head Sabaku?"

"No, of course I didn't," Sasori snapped. "I got you to come here today because I wanted to talk to you about Gaara-chan."

"What's there to talk about?" Naruto said, mentally cringing at Sasori's random change in mood.

Sasori sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Sorry about snapping like that," he apologized. "It's just, well, Gaara-chan's happiness means a lot to me."

Naruto nodded; he could understand that. "But what's that got to do with me?"

"A lot, actually," Sasori said as he took his drink from Deidara. "Thanks, Dei."

Deidara handed Naruto his drink before sitting on the floor by Sasori and resting his chin on Sasori's knees.

"Like what?" Naruto pressed.

"Well, I'll start with this," Sasori said. "Do you know why I used those pet names when we were completing the transaction for Dei?"

Naruto shook his head.

"I was testing you," Sasori said. "I had to see if you were the right one for Gaara-chan."

Naruto gave Sasori probably the most confused look one person could give another;. "The _right_ one?"

Sasori sighed. Naruto really surpassed the stereo type sometimes. "Yes, Naruto-kun. What Gaara-chan needs most of all is a friend, someone he can trust and someone who can protect him," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto grumbled.

"You'll find out," Sasori said, getting up and starting to leave the room. "Anyway, if you need any help, just call me."

"But I don't even have your number!" Naruto cried indignantly, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Get it from the Uchiha," Sasori called from the other room, refusing to come back.

Naruto sighed. "Whatever. Fine. I'll just be leaving then."

"You do that. Dei, show him out."

"No need," Naruto countered. "I can find it on my own." Storming to his car, he got in and drove off. "Well, damn, that was a waste of time. Stupid teme was right. They _are_ insane."

_I'm going to say this bluntly, Naruto-kun. Gaara-chan's life was hell._

The words echoed in Naruto's mind and he slammed his fist on the steering wheel and yelled "What the _fuck_ does that even mean?"

But, of course, no one answered him.


	8. Friend

_What Gaara-chan needs most of all is a friend, someone he can trust and someone who can protect him._

_A friend, huh? _Naruto thought. _That I can do, for sure. I'll show him that he can trust me and I'll always keep him safe._

Suddenly, Naruto's phone went off.

Naruto sighed and picked it up. "Yello?"

"Dobe, get down to the shop," Sasuke said.

"Oh, no, teme," Naruto growled. "I did a house call today. I get the rest of the day off."

"Yeah, I know," Sasuke replied. "I just need your help with something."

Naruto sighed. Stupid teme. "What?"

"Just come down to the shop," Sasuke repeated.

"Fine," Naruto snapped before closing his phone and throwing it on the seat. He shifted his driving and went to the shop.

**000**

Sasuke yawned, leaning back against the wall. Where was that idiot anyway?

Naruto came in the back of the office, dropping his things -cellphone, wallet, keys- on the desk and said, "Well?"

"We need new stock," Sasuke said, bored.

"And?" Naruto said.

"_And _you're going to help," Sasuke went on.

"Dammit, why?" Naruto yelled.

"Because," Sasuke explained calmly. "You have good taste in pets and you know what to look for."

"But I did a house call," Naruto whined. "I'm s'posed to get the rest of the day off."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and said, "How about this? Come with me, and I'll pay you a hundred up front, plus fifty for every pet we purchase."

Naruto thought about it. That was better than he was normally paid. He nodded and said, "I'll agree to that."

"Good," Sasuke said, grabbing his keys. "Get in the car."

**000**

"Speaking of house calls," Naruto said after they'd been driving a while, and he grew tired of watching trees blur past. "You have the Akasuna's number?"

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Cause," Naruto replied. "He told me if I needed anything concerning Gaara to call him."

Sasuke snorted but said, "Fine. I'll give it to you when we get back to the shop. Don't forget to remind me."

"Right."

**000**

Naruto sighed tiredly. They'd been shopping for the past _seven hours_. That meant it was -what? Naruto flipped open his phone and checked the time. Nine o'clock. Damn. He glanced over at Sasuke, who was reading a file. "Teme?"

"What?"

"It's after nine."

"And?"

"What happened to us just hanging out?"

Sasuke gave him a look that said, 'you're an idiot' and went back to reading the file; apparently the question wasn't worth answering.

Naruto sighed and picked with the tail of his shirt. This was why he didn't like shopping.

"Dobe."

"Yeah, what is it?" Naruto said without looking up.

"I'm sure Gaara would like to hang out sometime. Perhaps you should try it."

Naruto stared at him incredulously. "And how the _hell_ would I do that? On the few days I _am_ off, you bribe me into doing more work!"

"Dobe, shut up and listen, all right?" Sasuke snapped as he signed his signature for the purchases. "I know I have you do a lot of the work, but I was planning on giving you some vacation time. After all, you have, let's see, the primary hundred and we've purchased," he did a quick count, "ten pets. So you have $600 to do with what ever the fuck you please." With that said, he completed the purchases and walked out of the breeder's, while leaving Naruto to jog to catch up to him.

**000**

When they walked back into the shop, Sasuke held out his hand expectantly.

"What the -oh, yeah," Naruto mumbled. He dug his phone out of his pocket and put in Sasuke's hand.

The raven put in the number and tossed the phone back, before pulling the cash out of his pocket and handing it to Naruto. "There. And take the next few days off. You'll still get paid, of course, just spend some time with your pet."

Naruto nodded and walked out to his car. Starting it up, he drove off, back to his house. He was halfway there when the realization hit him. "Shit," he muttered. "I should have told Gaara where I was going. What kind of friend am I?" He sighed and pulled into his driveway. Walking inside, he threw his keys on the kitchen counter when he noticed how quiet it was. That was odd. Usually, Gaara was waiting for him in the living room. The house -living room, dining room, kitchen, den- all seemed to be devoid of another presence. It was really unnerving. Naruto sighed and went upstairs. Maybe Gaara'd gone to bed. He opened his bedroom door to find Gaara, sitting on his haunches, staring out the window.

"You're late," the red head said quietly. "What kept you?"

It wasn't a complaint, Naruto realized. Gaara was simply curious. He glanced at the way the moonlight and the lamp cast conflicting shadows around the red head, muting to color of the vermilion hair. He sighed and crossed the room to sit on the bed. "I'm sorry. I should have told you."

Gaara turned to look at him, aqua eyes glittering. He didn't say anything, just waited.

"Sasuke wanted to shop for more stock; he paid me to go with him," Naruto explained, holding up the six hundred before throwing it, and his phone, on the night table. "I'm gonna take a shower, you wanna join me?" Naruto blinked. _Where the __fuck__ did that come from?_

Gaara just shook his head and looked back out the window.

Naruto grabbed some sleep clothes and went to the bathroom. He showered quickly and came back. As he sat down the bed, he laid back against the pillows and said, "Gaara."

Gaara turned his head to look at Naruto.

Naruto patted the bed beside him. "Come on," he said.

Gaara got onto the bed and curled up beside him.

Naruto pulled the covers over them both and said, "Hey, you wanna go to the movies tomorrow? We can bring Sakura-chan and Hinata, if you like. How's that sound?"

"Sure," Gaara murmered after a few minutes of silence, before snuggling closer.

_Maybe Sasuke was right,_ Naruto thought as he turned out the light and settled down beside Gaara. _We should be friends before anything else._


End file.
